Political Science Scholarships

Gates Cambridge Scholarship

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship provides funding (tuition, living allowance, research or conference expenses, and roundtrip airfare) to pursue either a second Bachelor's degree, one year of post-graduare course work or research leading to a Ph.D. in any field at Cambridge University in England. Students must be U.S. citizens with an outstanding academic and leadership record, strong supporting references and clear reasons how study at Cambridge will further their long-term academic and professional goals.

Jacob K. Javits Fellowships

The Javits Fellowship provides up to 48 months of funding (tuition, fees and stipend) for students pursuing Masters or Doctoral degrees in specific fields of the arts, humanities and social sciences at accredited U.S. institutions. Candidates must demonstrate superior ability, outstanding achievement, exceptional promise and

James Madison Fellowships

The Madison Fellowships provide a maximum of $24,000 (tuition, fees, books, room and board) and are intended exclusively for graduate study leading to a Master’s degree in one of the following fields: MA in American history or political science; MAT in American Constitutional history or American government, political institutions and political theory; MEd in American history, or American government, political institutions and political theory. Upon completion of the degree, candidates are expected to teach American history, American government or social studies full-time in grades 7-12 for one full year for each academic year of aid received. Fellowships are available for Junior Fellows (Seniors or recent graduates without teaching experience) and Senior Fellows (current teachers.) Eligible candidates must be U.S. citizens or nationals and hold at least a Bachelor’s degree by August 31st of the application year.

U.S.-Ireland Alliance Mitchell Scholarships

The Mitchell Scholarship provides full funding for one year of post-graduate study in any discipline at any university or associated institutions in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Candidates must be U.S. citizens between the ages of 18-29 and have a Bachelors’ Degree by the start of the grant.

Marshall Scholarships

The Marshall Scholarship provides full funding (university fees, cost of living expenses, annual book grant, thesis grant, research and daily travel grants, RT airfare and, where applicable, a contribution towards the support of a dependent spouse) for 2 years (with a possible 3rd year extension) of graduate study at any British university or associated institutions. All academic fields are eligible. Candidates must be U.S. citizens and hold a Bachelor’s Degree with a minimum GPA of 3.7 at the start of the grant period.

Presidential Management Fellows Program

Bearing the Presidential moniker, the PMF Program is a flagship leadership development program at the entry level for advanced degree candidates. It was created more than three decades ago by Executive Order and has gone through many changes over the years. The Program attracts and selects the best candidates possible, but is really designed with a more narrow focus - developing a cadre of potential government leaders. It provides some sustenance during the first years of employment and encourages development of leadership capabilities. The PMF Program inculcates a lasting bond as well as a spirit of public service, ultimately encouraging and leading to a career in the government. In addition to salary and benefits, the PMF Program gives you a lot in return for your hard work. Your two-year appointment will provide a fast-paced opportunity to gain experience and develop your talents. You will be challenged with opportunities to flourish into a problem solver, strategic thinker and future leader. In addition to working at a single Federal agency, you may have the option to participate in a rotational opportunity at another agency. These rotational opportunities will challenge you even further and give you insight into how other areas of government operate.

Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship Program

Junior Summer Institute Prepares young adults for an advanced degree and careers serving the public good. PPIA has an outreach focus on students from groups who are underrepresented in leadership positions in government, nonprofits, international organizations and other institutional settings. Furthermore, international affairs are increasingly mixed with local concerns. Addressing such global issues make diversity a critical goal in professional public service. The seven-week summer program prepares college juniors for graduate programs in public and international affairs and careers as policy professionals, public administrators and other leadership roles in public service. Curriculum includes economics, statistics, domestic/international policy issues and leadership topics, all designed to sharpen the students' quantitative, analytic and communication skills.

Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship

The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship accepts candidates seeking admission to graduate school for the following academic year. Winners are expected to enroll in a two-year, full-time master's degree program in either public policy, international affairs, public administration, or in an academic field such as business, economics, political science, sociology, or foreign languages (U.S. graduate institutions only). Consideration will be given to qualified applicants who demonstrate outstanding leadership skills and academic achievement in programs relevant to the work of the U.S. Department of State, such as international affairs, management, communications, history, political science, economics, and foreign languages, and also to whether a candidate demonstrates financial need. The number of fellowships will be determined by available funding.

Coro Fellows Program

The Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs is a full-time, nine month, graduate-level experiential leadership training program that prepares diverse, talented and committed individuals for effective and ethical leadership in the public affairs arena. Unconventional by traditional academic standards, the Fellows Program is rigorous and demanding, an unparalleled opportunity for personal and professional growth. The Fellows Program is offered in Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and St. Louis. "Coro teaches me to see established structures for what they are and what they do, but also invites me to take one step further: to see where and how I can shift these structures to better serve their purposes." Sarah Chang (Fellows Program 2005-2006) Coro introduces program participants to all aspects of the public affairs arena, preparing them to translate their ideals into action for improving their own communities and beyond. Coro Fellows learn to see the big picture - the community as a whole - and appreciate the varying perspectives that characterize our cities, states, and nation. Through field placements, group interviews, seminars, focus weeks, individual and group projects, they develop:

Sixty-eight Fellows are chosen nationally each year through a highly competitive selection process, including a day-long assessment at each center’s city. The Fellows represent a broad range of academic, work, cultural, racial and economic backgrounds, ages and interests. What they share is an unwavering commitment to civic engagement. Recent participants have ranged from 21 to 53 years of age.

Harry S. Truman Scholarship

The Truman Scholarship provides up to $30,000 in funding to students pursuing graduate degrees in public service fields. Students must be college juniors at the time of selection. The Foundation also provides assistance with career counseling, internship placement, graduate school admissions, and professional development. Scholars are invited to participate in a number of programs: Truman Scholar Leadership Week, The Summer Institute, and The Truman-Albright Fellows Program. Please visit the For Scholars section of the website for an overview of the programs the Foundation currently offers for Scholars.

Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship Student Congress

The Henry Clay Center Student Congress educates a new generation of leaders in the principles and practices of statesmanship as exemplified by the great Kentucky statesman, Henry Clay. This exposes a top college junior from every U.S. State to a curriculum in diplomacy, dialogue, listening skills, negotiation and mediation. The five-day curriculum, which is under the aegis of the University of Kentucky Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce and Martin School of Public Policy and Administration, Transylvania University and Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate, focuses not only on theory, but also on the practices of statesmanship. The history and context of Henry Clay and his approaches and contributions to statesmanship are at the center of the course. Students hear from top speakers from around the world on conflict resolution, decision making in a shared power world and national and international relations. The Student Congress is funded entirely by donations, and full scholarships are provided for fifty-one rising college seniors representing all fifty states and the District of Columbia. Students are recommended to attend the Congress by senior U.S. Senators and college and university professors and officials.

Organization of American States Intern Program

The OAS Student Internship Program is designed for undergraduate, graduate and young professional students to allow them to work within their fields of study.

The Program, although unpaid, is very competitive; in order to be selected, students must have at least a 3.0 GPA, a good command of two of the four official languages of the Organization:

English

French

Portuguese

Spanish

Interns are required to attend a mandatory cycle of weekly meetings with senior officials to provide them with a clear insight into overall OAS activities. In addition, all selected candidates are required to participate in the MOAS/PC which is a simulation of the Permanent Council of the OAS.

The Rhodes Scholarship

The Rhodes Scholarships were established after the death of Cecil Rhodes, who dreamed of improving the world through the diffusion of leaders motivated to serve their contemporaries, trained in the contemplative life of the mind, and broadened by their acquaintance with one another and by their exposure to cultures different from their own. Mr. Rhodes hoped that his plan of bringing able students from throughout the English-speaking world and beyond to study at Oxford University would aid in the promotion of international understanding and peace. Each year, 32 U. S. citizens are among more than 80 Rhodes Scholars worldwide who take up degree courses at Oxford University. The first American Rhodes Scholars entered Oxford in 1904.

Mr. Rhodes’ Will contains four criteria by which prospective Rhodes Scholars are to be selected:

literary and scholastic attainments;

energy to use one’s talents to the full, as exemplified by fondness for and success in sports;

truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship;

moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one’s fellow beings.

The American Secretary of the Rhodes Trust administers all aspects of the Rhodes Scholarships in the United States. On behalf of the Rhodes Trustees in England, he determines the rules and procedures of the competition, advises colleges and universities, selects all selection committee members, interprets Trust policies and selection criteria for Americans, and advises Rhodes Scholars-elect. The current American Secretary is Elliot F. Gerson. The Rhodes Trustees have designated officers in other countries with Rhodes Scholarships who have similar responsibilities.

Samuel Huntington Public Service Award

The Samuel Huntington Public Service Award offers a $10,000 stipend to a graduating college senior to undertake a one-year public service project anywhere in the world immediately following graduation.

Students are encourage to develop their own proposal for public service in the U.S. or abroad. The proposal may encompass any activity that furthers the public good. Students do not need to be a U.S. citizen but must be graduating from a U.S. college or university.

State Department Internships

Experience the thrill and rewards of student programs at the U.S. Department of State. Whether you're a high school student looking for summer employment, or a college or graduate student seeking a substantive internship supporting U.S. foreign policy, there's no limit as to how far our opportunities can take you. At the U.S. Department of State, you'll have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gain insight into U.S. foreign policy and diplomacy, explore new career avenues and most of all, acquire lifelong skills as you represent America to the world. Are you up for the challenge?

Student Programs enable students to obtain job experience in a foreign affairs environment. Some of our students work in Washington, D.C., while others have the opportunity to work at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad.

The Elie Wiesel Prize in Ethics

Whatever the answer to essential questions of society and individual human beings may be, education is surely its major component. But what would education be without its ethical dimension? That is why this Prize in Ethics Essay Contest was established in 1989 by the Elie Wiesel Foundation. Thousands of students from hundreds of colleges and universities across the nation have participated. Through their writing, they explored their concerns and beliefs, their fears and their hopes. Applicants are encouraged to choose any subject they feel strongly about, provided it is related to the domain of ethics.

Glamour Top 10 College Women

Are you a campus leader? Enter Glamour's Top 10 College Women Competition. For the over fifty years, Glamour has been combing college campuses for some of the most inspiring females in the country. Previous winners include politicians, CEOs, high-powered doctors and lawyers —even Martha Stewart. If you're a college junior with leadership experience, excellence in your field of study and unique career goals, you could be part of this elite group.

The White House Fellows Program

Founded in 1964, the White House Fellows program is one of America's most prestigious programs for leadership and public service. White House Fellowships offer exceptional young men and women first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the federal government. Selected individuals typically spend a year working as a full-time, paid Fellow to senior White House Staff, Cabinet Secretaries and other top-ranking government officials. Fellows also participate in an education program consisting of roundtable discussions with renowned leaders from the private and public sectors, and trips to study U.S. policy in action both domestically and internationally. Fellowships are awarded on a strictly non-partisan basis.

William E. Simon Fellowship for Noble Purpose

The Simon Fellowship is a $40,000 unrestricted cash grant awarded to those graduating college seniors who have demonstrated passion, dedication, a high capacity for self-direction, and originality in pursuit of a goal that will strengthen civil society. In addition, two $5,000 cash awards are made to two other outstanding students. Examples of how recipients may use the award include:

Hertog Summer Institute

The Hertog Program aims to help educate and prepare a new generation of intellectual and political leaders by bringing a select group of university students together with some of the nation's great political scholars and actors.

Future Leaders Fellows Program (Population Institute)

The Population Institute is an international non-profit that educates policymakers and the public about population, and seeks to promote universal access to family planning information, education, and services. Through voluntary family planning, we strive to achieve a world population in balance with a healthy global environment and resource base.